Gurney's pitta is a medium-sized passerine bird. It breeds in the Malay Peninsula, with populations mainly in Myanmar. The common name and Latin binomial commemorate the British banker and amateur ornithologist John Henry Gurney (1819-1890). Its diet consists of slugs, insects, and earthworms.
Region
Thai–Malay Peninsula
Typical Environment
Occurs in lowland evergreen and semi-evergreen rainforests of peninsular Myanmar and formerly southern Thailand. It favors dense, moist understory with rattans, palms, and bamboo, often near streams or in damp gullies. The species will use lightly logged or regenerating secondary forest if thick ground cover remains. It avoids open plantations and heavily degraded habitats. Ongoing forest conversion and fragmentation severely restrict its remaining range.
Altitude Range
Sea level to 250 m
Climate Zone
Tropical
Ease of Keeping
Beginner friendly: 1/5
Gurney's pitta was long feared extinct in Thailand until its dramatic rediscovery in 1986 near Krabi; later, additional populations were found in Myanmar’s Tanintharyi Region. It is now one of Southeast Asia’s most threatened forest birds due to rapid lowland deforestation for agriculture and plantations. The name commemorates British ornithologist John Henry Gurney. It keeps to dense understory and is easiest to glimpse at dawn as it forages quietly on the forest floor.
Female in Khao Nor Chu Chi, Krabi, Thailand
Temperament
secretive and skulking
Flight Pattern
short rapid wingbeats, low to the ground
Social Behavior
Usually found singly or in territorial pairs during the breeding season. Nests are domed and placed close to the ground in dense cover; both sexes participate in care. Clutches are small and the species is sensitive to disturbance near nest sites.
Migratory Pattern
Resident
Song Description
A clear, melancholy two-note whistle, often repeated at steady intervals from a low perch or from within dense cover. Calls can be ventriloquial, making the bird hard to locate.
